Rest in Peace Heroes.
Posted on 06/20/2006 6:26:39 AM PDT by areafiftyone
BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi military official said Tuesday that the bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers showed signs of torture, and that men appeared to have been killed "in a barbaric way." Also, the umbrella group for Iraqi insurgents claimed responsibility for the soldiers' deaths.
"We give the good news ... to the Islamic nation that we have carried God's verdict by slaughtering the two captured crusaders," said a statement in the name of the Mujahedeen Shura Council, which groups five insurgent organizations including al-Qaida in Iraq.
At a news briefing, U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell declined to identify the two men until their families could be notified.
Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., disappeared after an insurgent attack Friday at a checkpoint by a Euphrates River canal south of Baghdad. Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., was killed.
The checkpoint was in the Sunni Arab region known as the "Triangle of Death" because of frequent ambushes there of U.S. soldiers and Iraqi troops.
The three men were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
"The news is going to be heartbreaking for my family," Menchaca's uncle, Ken MacKenzie, told NBC's "Today" show.
He said the United States should have paid a ransom for the two soldiers from money seized from Saddam Hussein.
"I think the U.S. was too slow to react to this," MacKenzie said. "Because the U.S. did not have a plan in place, my nephew has paid with his life."
The director of the Iraqi defense military's operation room, Maj. Gen. Abdul-Aziz Mohammed, said the two bodies were found on a street near the town Youssifiyah, close to the scene of the attack. The U.S. military could not confirm that account.
Caldwell, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said details of what happened to the two missing soldiers and about the bodies found would be released later Tuesday after the families of the soldiers were informed.
"Until we know the families have been both briefed and have been fully informed ... it would be inappropriate," he said.
A search involving more than 8,000 Iraqi and American troops turned up nothing over the weekend, but troops searching for the soldiers killed three suspected insurgents and detained 34 in fighting that also left seven U.S. servicemen wounded, Caldwell said.
A farmer claiming to have witnessed the attack told The Associated Press on Sunday that insurgents swarmed the checkpoint, killing the driver of a Humvee before taking two of his comrades captive.
Ahmed Khalaf Falah said three Humvees were manning a checkpoint when they came under fire from many directions. Two Humvees went after the assailants but the third was ambushed before it could move.
He said seven masked gunmen, one carrying a heavy machine gun, killed the driver of the third vehicle and took the two other U.S. soldiers captive. His account could not be verified independently.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also said the soldiers appeared to have been taken prisoner by insurgents.
The military said Saturday that soldiers at a nearby checkpoint heard small-arms fire and explosions during the attack at 7:15 p.m. Friday, and a quick-reaction force reached the scene within 15 minutes. The force found one soldier dead but no signs of the other two.
The god these Islamofasts serve is none other than Lucifer himself.
"We are dealing with rabid dogs, beyond human compassion."
Rabid dogs must be destroyed. The sooner the better. Amen.
I don't know if this is the typical hot air and verbal vomit that these people normally spew or perhaps it is meant as a statement that al-Q is still around.
In world war II one vet told me that there were very few prisoners taken. All were killed on the field of battle.
Something to think about in the future. Amen.
Yes they do realize that.
But they want us to unite behind them.
Their idea of a fast resolution is for the US to admit President Bush is guilty of war crimes,
immediately withdraw our troops, disband the military and never ever vote of another evil Republican.
Having their party in power is more important than the nation.
I hate to say this but unless a video comes out like the one where Zarqawi beheaded that guy people will find that hard to believe. If he did I'm sure they videotaped it.
Where is Amnesty International and the Red Cross? They are constantly whining that we should treat these barbaric savages according to the rules of the Geneva Convention, which jihadists are exempt from because they only follow the twisted orders of their phony moon-god. We should surround the "Triange of Death" and make is live up to its name by cutting all power to these three enclaves, cutting all supply lines and water, and let them kill each other for the last crumb of bread and drop of water.
I still haven't received a reply. But when I do, I'll put it on a thread in the, "Chat," section.
I hope the murdered soldiers' parents sue him and the enemedia for slander.
Iran patiently awaits the US pullout of Iran(then the civil war). Too bad the Iraqis will not realize this.
They couldn't have been tortured. The terrorists don't torture people. Only we do. Witness the horrible torture in Abu Graib prison inflicted on the poor freedom fighters being detained there
I've always thought that Mohamhead is the false prophet. There is no "Lucifer" to be born on a future date. It already happened in 626 & there are many followers of this false god.
The terrorists picked the wrong military unit... the 101st is not a unit I'd want to piss off. The perpetrators should know they will be hunted down like the animals they are.
People are still blaming FDR for "stirring the pot" in the Pacific.
I couldn't agree with you more.
Screaming Eagle Mom
The new leader of Al Q in Iraq killed these two:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1652441/posts
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